Wire-tapper.



J. FITZPATRICK.

WIRE TAPPER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30| 19I8.

1 ,290, 1 5 3 Patented Jan. 7,w 1919.

gwuentoz Witnssses i y UniTED sTATns PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH ri'rzrn'rnrcn, or DOUGLAS, ARIZONA.

WIRE-Tarrina.

Application led March 80, 1918. Serial No. 225,735.

To all whomc't may concern: l

Be it known that I, JOSEPH FrrzrATnIoK,

a citizen of the United States, residing at' Douglas, in the county of Cochise and State of Arizona, have invented new and useful Improvements in Wire-Tappers, of which thefollowing is a-"speciiication This invention relates to a simple, cheap, u

easily operated and thoroughly effective mea-ns for connecting a branch Wire to an electric,conducting feed wire, and resides in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts set forth in the following description and falling within the scope of what is claimed.

,inthe drawings, f

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the application of the improvement.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged'sectional View ap' proximately on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the connecting member, the sections comprising the same being in their open position. v

Referring now to the drawings in detail the numeral 1 designates an electric conducting wire and 2 a branch wire which is tap-pcd to the feed wire by my improvement.

The improvement contemplates the ernployment of a two-'part casing of insulating material, the sections thereof being hingedly connected as at 3. Each of the sectionsl-Ll' the sections 4' is a 'conductor strip 7.v This strip is substantially T-shaped and has its outer face depressed, so that the same is substantially U-'shaped in cross section. In both the straight and angle branches of the T.fshaped conductor plate are arranged out- '-wa'rdly extending prongs 9. These prongs are in the nature o electric conductors, and

Specicationof Letters Patent.

gned to communicate, approxi- 'l Patented Jaaa, i919."

maybe formed integrally with the'conductor -plate by providing the said plate with subf sta/ntially V-shaped slits and bending the metal bounded by the slits outwardly., or the said prongs may comprise separable elements, connected, in lany desired manner to the conductor plate.

Itwill be apparent that when the device is'arranged upon the feed wire'the prongs in the longitudinal arm'of the conductor plate will pierce the outer insulation of the said feed Wire and contact with the Wire.

Y Likewise the prongs` of the 4angle branch or armof the conductor plate will pierce the insulating covering on the branch Wire2 and cont-act with the Wire. When the sections are brought together both the feed and the branch wires will be wholly received in the passages provided inthe members 4 4, and when .the members are in such position they are locked by a suitable spring catch which is indicated by the ,numeral 1 v In order to accommodate knots in the branch Wire, the central branch or leg of the substantially T-shaped casing has the passage 6 therein provided with al deepened portion or depression 6 .forming a pocket for the knot. When the sections comprising the improvement areclamped or locked together and the knot, in the branch wire 2 arranged in its. pocket, it will be apparent that the said branch wire cannot be accidentally removed from the device. It is believed, from the foregoing, that thel simplicity,v and advantages of the constructionV will be apparent Without further description.

.Having thus described the invention, what I claim is: v

' In a device for the purpose set forth, a

casing of insulating material comprising a, member which is T-shaped in plan and including two lapping sections which are hingedlyl connected, each of said sections having asemi-cylindrical longitudinal and a4 semi-cylindrical ,transverse lpassage which communicate, the transverse passage in each of the sections having a deepened kportion therein which aline when the sections are brought'together, a substantially T-shaped conductor plate U-shapedA in cross section having its longitudinal portion received in the longitudinal passage of one of the members and secured therein, the lateral extentransverse portions of the conductor plate sion of the insulator plate being comparabeing formed with`.V-shaped slits and the tively short and being arranged in one of meta-l bounded by the slits being bent out- 10 the transverse passages of the casing and ward to-provide prongs, all as and for the 5 terminating approximately ina line with purpose set forth. d

the inner wall of the deepened portion in In testimony whereofl aix my signature. the said passage, both the longitudinal and f JOSEPH FITZPATRICK. 

